Collector’s edition of Panchjanya dedicated to the life and works of Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee released on December 25

New Delhi: “My memories with Atal are endless. It is like ‘Hari Anant Hari Katha Ananta…’ He was Atal, He is Atal and he will be Atal. He has achieved a respectable place in the hearts of millions of countryman,” said Shri Shiv Kumar, the close associate of Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee for over 50 years, while releasing the Collector’s Edition of Panchjanya dedicated to Vajpayeeji on December 25, 2018. The function was held at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in the presence of distinguished gathering. The 100 pages issue has been priced at Rs 100.

Referring to Atalji’s disagreement with the party on some issues, Shri Shiv Kumar pointed out that Atalji followed what the party decided even if he was in disagreement. “We see in him the integration of Shri Ram’s ideals, Vivekananda’s sharpness, Buddha’s dignity and Chanakya’s political acumen. He was a poet, a literary person and a journalist as well. It was not a minor achievement how Atalji and Deendayalji published Panchjanya in the initial days. In those days a section of people in the political circle hated Panchjanya. But both Atalji and Panchjanya continued to scale new heights and now the readers feel pride in reading Panchjanya. It was the result of my previous birth’s good karma that I got the opportunity to serve such a great personality for five decades,” he added.

Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Shri Shakti Sinha, who was Private Secretary of Atalji when he was Prime Minister, recalled his long association with Atalji. “My association with Atal ji began when he was Leader of Opposition. He was a good listener and paid attention to every word. His memory was very sharp. He scripted new history in coalition politics when he led a coalition of parties with different ideologies. He was always worried about the farmers and the villages. People with such wide vision are found rarely. The leaders like him must get a place in the history. Everything associated with him should be preserved,” he added.

In the beginning, Panchjanya editor Shri Hitesh Shankar said Atalji strengthened the trust that ‘we will win’. He said as Atalji stressed on dialogue, Panchjanya too does not refrain from interacting with the ideological opponents. “Though Atalji was with Panchjanya for a brief period, his association was for a very long period. He was the former editor who tested his editorial team even on the day when he breathed his last on August 16, 2018. Atalji and Panchjanya are synonymous,” he added.